DOC­TOR DRAMA

If you’ve ever put off see­ing a doc­tor about a nig­gling health is­sue be­cause you don’t want to be a ‘drama queen’, you’re not alone. More than one third of Aus­tralian women say this fear has kept them from seek­ing med­i­cal help, ac­cord­ing to a re­cent study. What’s more, al­most half the women sur­veyed ad­mit­ted they don’t seek a sec­ond opin­ion when dis­sat­is­fied with the ini­tial ad­vice. This dan­ger­ous trend can put your health at risk, warns pre­ven­ta­tive can­cer ac­tivist Krys­tal Barter, founder of Pink Hope. “Pur­su­ing an­swers to con­cerns isn’t be­ing dra­matic – it’s be­ing smart. Don’t be afraid to speak up,” she says.